Signal-lantern



(No Model.)

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0. 104mm. SIGNAL LANTERN.

Patented Apr. 8, 1890.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

O. 'D. OATMAN. SIGNALLANTBRN.

No. 425,244. Patented Apr. 8, 1890.

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PATENT Trice.

CHARLES D. OATMAN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

SIGNAL-LANTERN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,244, dated April 8, 1890- Application filed October 24, 1889.

To qt-ZZ whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES D. OATMAN, of Brooklyn, county of Kings, State of New York, a citizen of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signal-Lanterns, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to signal-lanterns in which. the light or flame is flashed or alternately displayed or eclipsed, whereby predetermined signals may be rendered visible at night at a distance from the place of location of the lantern; and my invention consists in the parts and devices in combination in a signal-lantern, as hereinafter particularly described, whereby the light is more effectively and rapidly eclipsed and displayed in the lantern.

Q Figure 1 is a vertical central section of a signal-lantern containing my invention, taken on line a; a: of Fig. 2. Fig. :2 is a horizontal section of the same taken on line y 3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a side elevation, on areduced scale, of the lantern.

A represents the lantern box or frame, the front walla of which maybe hinged as a door and have in it the glazed aperture a. A slide a in the side wall may be provided to give access to the lamp-burner.

B is the lamp, which is preferably chimneyless, as shown, and having a well-known blower or forced-draft attachment B, by which the air is supplied to the flame under pressure. A lamp-chimney maybe employed and the forced-draft apparatus dispensed with, or other light-producing means-such as a candle or an electric lamp-may be substituted, without affecting the essential features of my invention.

In carrying out one feature of my invention I employa parabolic reflector C, the apex of which has been cut away, as shown, and I arrange or place such reflector so that the lamp-burner or other flame-producer or illuminator is located relatively to it in said apex aperture and immediately rearward thereof. 1 preferably accomplish this by attaching the forward rim of the reflector O to the front wall or door a of the lantern, around the glazed aperture therein, so that thus mounted the reflector, when the door a is closed, will Serial No. 327,995. (No model.)

stand immediately forward of the illuminator B and with said illuminator in the apex aperture of the reflector. I then provide a shutter or shutters which are adapted to play in the apex aperture of the reflector O and between said reflector and the lamp B. I prefer to construct and arrange the shutter as shown in the drawings-411M is to say, com-- posed of two similar wings D D, carried, respectively, by arms d d, and adapted to swing from opposite sides of the reflector-aperture to the center thereof and to somewhat overlap at their meeting edges in front of the lamp-burn er.

The arms cl cl are preferably fixed respectively to sleeves d (1 which are independently j ournaled on upright shaft (Z fixed in a frame (1 mounted on the lantern-wall, and the vibration of these sleeves in opposite directions on their bearings to effect the opening and closing together of the wings D D is desirably effected by means of a lever d, the free end of which engages the sleeves on opposite sides of the shaft (1*, respectively, so that the forward swing of the lever will operate to vibrate sleeve (1 in one direction, and sleeve d in the opposite direction, and hence throw the shutters open, and the rearward swing of said lever will operateto vibrate the sleeves reversely in opposite directions, and hence bring the shutters together, or vice versa. As a means of engagement betweefi the lever (Z and said sleeves to effect these described movements of the shutters, I preferto employ-pinions d (Zifixed,respectively, on the sleeves (Z (1 and racks d (1 fixed on the lever d, and engaging, respectively, the pinions (Z (Z on opposite sides of the shaft (1 as shown. As the lever is rocked in one direction, the racks will operate to reverselyvibrate the pinions and sleeves to open the shutters, and the rocking of the lever in the opposite direction will in like manner vibrate the pinions and sleeves to close the shutters.

A further feature of my invention is the combination with the parabolic reflector O, having the described apex aperture, the lamp 13, located in said aperture, and the shutterD D, working in said aperture between said lamp and'said reflector, of an auxiliary parabolic reflector E, located rearwardly of the lamp and adapted and arranged to focus the light at the same point as the reflector O. The

reflectors C and E, while individually having independent foci, are, in carrying out this feature of my invention, so located relatively to each other, in front and to the rear, respectively, of the lamp B, that the foci of the two meet ata focal point common to both. By

this means the power or illuminating force of the lantern is augmented.

To operate the lever cl, I employ a key F, which is in the form of a bell-crank lever pivoted to the frame at f, and one arm of which extends exteriorly of the lantern-box, as at f, and is substantially horizontal, and may be provided with a thumb-piece f while the other arm f extends downwardly inside the box and engages the lever d, as shown. By this arrangement pressure upon the arm f of the key will vibrate the key on its pivot, so as to swing the arm f thereof, and consequently effect the vibration of lever d", and hence cause the described movements of the shutter D D.

G is a handle-piece arranged on the rear side of the lantern-box, and serves as a means to sustain the lantern in the grasp of the operator during signaling. A feature of my invention consists in placing the retractingspring H, by which the key is reversely vibrated when released from the pressure .of the operators thumb or finger, within the handle G, which is made hollow for this purpose. The spring H is located in-the hollow handle G, and a plunger h plays in the up per open end of the handle, resting upon the spring, as shown. The arm f of the key engages the upper end of the plunger. Pressure upon the key-arm f overcomes the spring, and, as before set forth, operates the-shutter. WVhen the arm f is released, the spring acts to force the arm upward, thus reversely vibrating the key, whereupon the shutter is moved reversely. By thus inclosing the spring H in the handle G the spring is prevented from being injured by contact with external objects and a compactness is given to the lantern structure.

Upon the handle-piece G, I provide a catch device J, desirably in the form of a pivoted or swinging and notched latch adapted to engage and hold the key-lever by its arm f when the lever is vibrated to open the shutter. By this means the shutter may be held open during such time as the operator may desire, while having access to the lamp, or removing the same through the box-door a.

It is evident that the operator may hold the lantern in one hand by grasping the handle G, and that the key-lever arm f is located and arranged so as to be readily operated by the thumb of the hand grasping said handle. It is also evident that by means of the described key-lever and the lever d, the sleeves d (1 engaging said lever, as described, and the wings D D, carried by the arms d d, fixed to the sleeves, the operator may effectively and rapidly display and eclipse the light alternately in making signals.

What I claim as myinvention, and desire to g an illuminator B, a truncated parabolic re flector C, in the apex aperture of which the said illuminator is located, a parabolic reflector E, located at the rear of said illuminator and extending beyond the rim of the apex aperture of the truncated parabolic reflector, and having a focal point common with that of the truncated parabolic reflector, together with shutter-wings D and D, adapted to play in the apex aperture of the truncated parabolic reflector laterally from either side between said parabolic reflector and the illuminator, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a signal-lantern, the combination, with the illuminator and its reflector, of shutter- Wings D D, carried, respectively, by arms 01 d, fixed, respectively, on sleeves d 01 and a lever d engaging said sleeves on opposite sides of their shaft, whereby the vibration of the lever will rotate the sleeves, respectively, in opposite directions and operate to swing the shutter-wings to and from each other, substantially as set forth.

3. In a signal-lantern, the combination, with the illuminator and its reflector, of shutterwings D D, arms cl (1, sleeves (1 d pinions (l d on said sleeves, and a lever d, carrying racks d (1 respectively, engaging said sleevepinions on opposite sides of the shaft thereof, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. I

4. In a signal-lantern, the combination, with the key-lever F, for actuating the vibratory shutters, having the arm f external of the lantern-body, of the hollow handle-piece G, located on the lantern-body immediately below said external arm of said key-lever, and the spring H, for retracting said key-lever, located in said hollow handle-piece and con nected to said external arm of said key-lever, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a signal-lantern, the combination of the key-lever F, for actuating the vibratory shutter, having an arm f external of the lantern-body, a hollow handle-piece G, a key-lever-retractin g spring H,located in said handle,

and a plunger 72 actuated by said spring and engaging said external arm of said key-lever, substantially as set forth.

IIO

6. In a signal-Ian tern, the combination, with the key-lever F, for actuating the vibratory shutter and having the arm f external of the lantern-body, of a handle-piece G, located on the body adjacent to said external arm of the key-lever, and a latch J on said handle-piece adapted to detachably engage said arm of said key-lever, substantially as set forth.

CHARLES D. OATMAN. Witnesses:

A. S. FITCH, A. T. FALEs. 

